German architect Ole Scheeren joins us in the studio, and we discuss the importance of simplicity and utility in design with London-based studio Industrial Facility. Plus: the last instalment of our summer series. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This is Monocle on Design, a show where we discuss everything from architecture and craft to furniture and fashion.
I'm Nick Monies.
On today's program, we speak to German architect Ole Sheeran and industrial facility talk about simplicity and utility.
Plus the last installment of our summer series, all that coming up on Monocle On Design.
Sam Hecht and Kim Collin founded London based Studio industrial facility in 2002.
Kim trained as an architect and Sam as an industrial designer.
Together they create beauty out of utility with projects including a portable power box for furniture giant Herman Miller, a smart dining chair for Denmark's Takt, and a colour palette for paint brand Bleo.
To find out more about this diverse range of work, I caught up with the duo in Milan earlier this year.
We hear from Kim Colin first, At.
The time that we formed, product design was very influenced by the new technology of computers being able to draw and model objects in white floating space.
So suddenly we had a lot of products designed without any context at all because the technology could allow you to.
And we said, wait a second, we have history.
We have not only design history, but cultural histories.
Those all seem to be erased by that white space.
Our discussion was really about how much was missing and we formed our office to try to have a point of view about that.
So, I mean, tell me a little bit about that role that tech played in shaping it.
Almost sounds like you went against it.
Is that a fair assumption, Sam?
Yeah, it is.
One of the very earliest clients that we had was Muji in Japan more than 20 years ago.